diff --git a/scripts/base/frameworks/input/readers/benchmark.bro b/scripts/base/frameworks/input/readers/benchmark.bro
index b5adc70861..fe44914271 100644
--- a/scripts/base/frameworks/input/readers/benchmark.bro
+++ b/scripts/base/frameworks/input/readers/benchmark.bro
@@ -19,5 +19,5 @@ export {
 	const stopspreadat = 0 &redef;
 
 	## 1 -> enable timed spreading
-	const timedspread = 0 &redef;
+	const timedspread = 0.0 &redef;
 }
diff --git a/src/input.bif b/src/input.bif
index 63cbb2796d..0749ac0287 100644
--- a/src/input.bif
+++ b/src/input.bif
@@ -52,4 +52,4 @@ const spread: count;
 const autospread: double;
 const addfactor: count;
 const stopspreadat: count;
-const timedspread: count;
+const timedspread: double;
diff --git a/src/input/Manager.cc b/src/input/Manager.cc
index f8ad493e11..218a9209ee 100644
--- a/src/input/Manager.cc
+++ b/src/input/Manager.cc
@@ -133,11 +133,15 @@ Manager::TableFilter::~TableFilter() {
 	if ( rtype ) // can be 0 for sets
 		Unref(rtype);
 
-        if ( currDict != 0 )
+        if ( currDict != 0 ) {
+		currDict->Clear();
 	        delete currDict;
+	}
 
-        if ( lastDict != 0 ) 
+        if ( lastDict != 0 ) {
+		lastDict->Clear();;
 	        delete lastDict;
+	}
 } 
 
 struct ReaderDefinition {
@@ -898,6 +902,7 @@ int Manager::SendEntryTable(Filter* i, const Value* const *vals) {
 	}
 
 	//i->tab->Assign(idxval, valval);
+	assert(idxval);
 	HashKey* k = filter->tab->ComputeHash(idxval);
 	if ( !k ) {
 		reporter->InternalError("could not hash");
@@ -1067,8 +1072,6 @@ void Manager::Put(ReaderFrontend* reader, Value* *vals) {
 }
 
 int Manager::SendEventFilterEvent(Filter* i, EnumVal* type, const Value* const *vals) {
-	bool updated = false;
-
 	assert(i);
 
 	assert(i->filter_type == EVENT_FILTER);
diff --git a/src/input/readers/Benchmark.cc b/src/input/readers/Benchmark.cc
index 391fdd7435..118b57f616 100644
--- a/src/input/readers/Benchmark.cc
+++ b/src/input/readers/Benchmark.cc
@@ -13,6 +13,8 @@
 #include <sys/stat.h>
 #include <unistd.h>
 
+#include "../../threading/Manager.h"
+
 using namespace input::reader;
 using threading::Value;
 using threading::Field;
@@ -27,7 +29,7 @@ Benchmark::Benchmark(ReaderFrontend *frontend) : ReaderBackend(frontend)
 	add = int(BifConst::InputBenchmark::addfactor);
 	autospread_time = 0;
 	stopspreadat = int(BifConst::InputBenchmark::stopspreadat);
-	timedspread = int(BifConst::InputBenchmark::timedspread);
+	timedspread = double(BifConst::InputBenchmark::timedspread);
 
 }
 
@@ -87,7 +89,8 @@ double Benchmark::CurrTime() {
 
 // read the entire file and send appropriate thingies back to InputMgr
 bool Benchmark::DoUpdate() {
-	for ( int i = 0; i < num_lines; i++ ) {
+	int linestosend = num_lines * threading::Manager::HEART_BEAT_INTERVAL;
+	for ( int i = 0; i < linestosend; i++ ) {
 		Value** field = new Value*[num_fields];
 		for  (unsigned int j = 0; j < num_fields; j++ ) {
 			field[j] = EntryToVal(fields[j]->type, fields[j]->subtype);
@@ -108,12 +111,13 @@ bool Benchmark::DoUpdate() {
 				usleep( autospread_time );
 		}
 
-		if ( timedspread == 1 ) {
+		if ( timedspread != 0.0 ) {
 			double diff;
 			do {
 				diff = CurrTime() - heartbeatstarttime;
 				//printf("%d %f\n", i, diff);
-			} while ( diff < i/(num_lines + (num_lines * 0.15) ) );
+			//} while ( diff < i/threading::Manager::HEART_BEAT_INTERVAL*(num_lines + (num_lines * timedspread) ) );
+			} while ( diff/threading::Manager::HEART_BEAT_INTERVAL < i/(linestosend + (linestosend * timedspread) ) );
 			//} while ( diff < 0.8); 
 		}
 
@@ -226,6 +230,15 @@ threading::Value* Benchmark::EntryToVal(TypeTag type, TypeTag subtype) {
 
 bool Benchmark::DoHeartbeat(double network_time, double current_time)
 {
+	/* 
+	 * This does not work the way I envisioned it, because the queueing is the problem.
+	  printf("%f\n", CurrTime() - current_time);
+	if ( CurrTime() - current_time > 0.25 ) {
+		// event has hung for a time. refuse.
+		SendEvent("EndBenchmark", 0, 0);
+		return true;
+	} */
+
 	ReaderBackend::DoHeartbeat(network_time, current_time);
 	num_lines = (int) ( (double) num_lines*multiplication_factor);
 	num_lines += add;
diff --git a/src/input/readers/Benchmark.h b/src/input/readers/Benchmark.h
index e5dca66889..ca248586da 100644
--- a/src/input/readers/Benchmark.h
+++ b/src/input/readers/Benchmark.h
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ private:
 	int add;
 	int stopspreadat;
 	double heartbeatstarttime;
-	int timedspread;
+	double timedspread;
 
 	string RandomString(const int len);
 
diff --git a/src/threading/Manager.h b/src/threading/Manager.h
index 7d9ba766d4..d5d78b288a 100644
--- a/src/threading/Manager.h
+++ b/src/threading/Manager.h
@@ -9,6 +9,10 @@
 #include "BasicThread.h"
 #include "MsgThread.h"
 
+namespace input { namespace reader {
+	class Benchmark;
+}}
+
 namespace threading {
 
 /**
@@ -80,6 +84,7 @@ public:
 protected:
 	friend class BasicThread;
 	friend class MsgThread;
+	friend class input::reader::Benchmark; // needs heartbeat
 
 	/**
 	 * Registers a new basic thread with the manager. This is
@@ -118,9 +123,10 @@ protected:
 	 * Part of the IOSource interface.
 	 */
 	virtual const char* Tag()	{ return "threading::Manager"; }
+	
+	static const int HEART_BEAT_INTERVAL = 10;
 
 private:
-	static const int HEART_BEAT_INTERVAL = 1;
 
 	typedef std::list<BasicThread*> all_thread_list;
 	all_thread_list all_threads;